Calculating glycemic index (GI) can be difficult, but websites offer lists of food GI numbers. Glycemic load (GL) measures the amount of carbohydrates in food, and multiplying GL by 100 and dividing by available carbohydrates gives the GI. Low-GI foods can reduce risks of heart disease and diabetes.
Calculating a glycemic index (GI) is generally considered a difficult task, which is why researchers and nutritionists have compiled a glycemic index for many common foods. Mathematical equations allow a person to calculate the glycemic index of foods in a meal, provided the carbohydrates in each food and the glycemic index of each food are known. Many websites offer a list of general food glycemic index numbers to help calculate the glycemic index; There are also websites that offer common fast food numbers. Using these websites, it can be typical to find not only the glycemic index, but also the serving size in grams, the carbohydrates per serving, and the glycemic load (GL).
Although similar, glycemic load and glycemic index are two completely different measures. The glycemic index is a rating system that measures how quickly a particular carbohydrate will be broken down into sugar in the human body. By contrast, glycemic load not only takes the same measure into account, but also measures the amount of carbohydrates in food. For example, watermelon has a high GI but a low GL. This is due to the fact that watermelon will quickly turn to sugar in the digestive process, but there are not many carbohydrates in the actual fruit.
When the GL is known, a person can calculate the glycemic index by multiplying the glycemic load by 100. This number is divided by the available carbohydrates measured in grams. Available carbohydrates are defined as the total carbohydrate content of food minus the fiber content. The result is the glycemic index of foods.
To calculate the glycemic index of a meal, add up the total carbohydrates in the entire meal, then find the GI value for each carbohydrate. Once you have determined how many carbohydrates were consumed in each serving, take the number of carbohydrates in the serving and divide it by the total number of carbohydrates in the group. This will result in the percentage of carbohydrates contributed by the group. You can then multiply this number by the glycemic index for the carbohydrate group. Finally, you can add all these numbers together and the result will be the glycemic index of the food.
Calculating the glycemic index for a particular food is almost impossible for a person without the help of the glycemic load. The best way to find these numbers is to look for a list created by researchers and nutritionists. These lists can help people calculate the glycemic index of a food. Low-glycemic foods help reduce risks of heart disease and diabetes, and can help control existing diabetes.
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